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The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

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Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#151
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and pay higher taxes.

… and get considerably more for those taxes. When you do the math, the combined federal + state + local tax rate plus health insurance and related expenditures starts to look awfully close to what someone in Denmark gets, except that their services also work better (e.g. nobody has a part-time job fighting their insurance company to and/or hospital to pay the correct amount).

[deleted]

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#152
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big Macs in Denmark are roughly the same price as in the US, but in Denmark you'd make $22/hour...

It's not quite that simple. The US Big Mac [1] has 11% more calories than the Denmark Big Mac [2], which is an 11% difference. Also, the average hourly wage in the US is $31.63 [3] as of January 31st. [1] https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac.html [2] https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/mcdonalds-big-mac... [3] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.b.htm

Uh, I guarantee you that a worker at a US McDonalds is not making $31/hour. The $22 I quoted for Denmark is the pay AT McDonalds, not the nationwide average hourly wage.

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#153
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big Macs in Denmark are roughly the same price as in the US, but in Denmark you'd make $22/hour...

and pay higher taxes.

Hey, saw the comment you deleted. I'm sorry you're in a rough situation — I had a coworker in similar straits and hope that you find something which works out for your family as they eventually did.

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#154

I'm curious how the Hong Kong Dollar can be "undervalued" with respect to the US Dollar by 51.4% when it's pegged 1:7.8 PPP doesn't really mean that a currency is 'undervalued' or 'overvalued' with respect to one another, just that local efficiencies or inefficiencies make procurement of a basket of goods relatively more or less expensive there relative to tradeable goods no?

In general island areas will show an "undervalue" for PPP measures. Hawaii Big Macs are more expensive than Indiana big macs, but that doesn't mean that Hawaiian USD are undervalued to Indiana USD.

I think there is an argument to be made for regional PPP adjustment. SF USD are definitely worth far less than Mississippi USD.

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those countries are either very strong union countries or countries that have lower standards of living.

Or have very high labor productivity and a constrained labor supply. Switzerland comes to mind.

Switzerland has a minimum wage, no?

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#156
post #72

Thought it was going to be this one, which I enjoy using a lot and find useful for getting the big picture. https://inflationchart.com/cpi-in-bigmac https://inflationchart.com/spx-in-bigmac In the 70s you could work minimum wage for an hour and afford three Big Macs. Now you have to work almost an hour to afford one Big Mac.: https://inflationchart.com/minwage-in-bigmac

That entire website is a staple of bad economics. The charts you linked are beyond meaningless.

Perhaps explaining why you think that would be more helpful to the readers.

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or have very high labor productivity and a constrained labor supply. Switzerland comes to mind.

Switzerland has a minimum wage, no?

Not federally. Five out of the 26 cantons do.

Re: The Big Mac index: Our interactive currency comparison tool

#159
post #95

Thought it was going to be this one, which I enjoy using a lot and find useful for getting the big picture. https://inflationchart.com/cpi-in-bigmac https://inflationchart.com/spx-in-bigmac In the 70s you could work minimum wage for an hour and afford three Big Macs. Now you have to work almost an hour to afford one Big Mac.: https://inflationchart.com/minwage-in-bigmac

US Income vs US Cost of Living tells a different story. The income rose 55% more than the cost of living: https://inflationchart.com/income-in-life

Independent of how they got those numbers: the income levels reflect average (presumably median) worker earnings; not the earnings of minimum wage workers. Which most definitely have not gone up 10x since 1974.

This is a very, very important distinction. Right?

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